Automotives
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It took two days for General Motors to display all of its new-for-2003 car and truck models to the assembled North American journalists it had summoned to Ann Arbor, Mich. Splitting the two sessions, GM put on an outdoor walking buffet dinner to accompany a Bring-Your-Own-Baby car show, during which the companyÂ’s executives brought out their own private collectible vehicles.
There were enough vehicles with new technology to fill a notebook, but the image of that collector car show remains the most riveting memory of the impressive trip.
There was Bob Lutz, GMÂ’s new boss, puffing on a big cigar as he stood proudly next to his own 1953 Cunningham Coupe C3, while motoring journalists stopped by to talk casually to him about his passion for automotives. There were a half-dozen GM-owned historic vehicles, and 47 privately owned classics, ranging from a 1908 Oldsmobile Touring 4-Cylinder to a 1938 Buick Special Model 41 Trunkback, and on up to a 1988 Ferrari Mondial. The winning vote-getter, incidentally, was a sensational 1935 Chevrolet Master Series two-door sedan owned by Wes Rydell, who is a major GM dealer with franchises in Grand Forks, N.D., the Twin Cities and California.
But the indelible feeling about the whole session is that the legendary General Motors bean-counters were nowhere visible. And a whole bunch of folks who obviously feel passionately about their cars. And anyone who loves cars that much gives you the feeling that theyÂ’ve got to care a lot about the cars they are building and selling.
“When Bob Lutz came in, he saw where we were taking things with our research, and heÂ’s coached us to be a lot more intuitive,†said Mark Hogan, a design engineer and one of the GM spokesmen. “He course-corrected us to use our abilities along with our market research. IÂ’ve never seen the energy, passion and focused intent in this company. And youÂ’re probably going to see much more reach in our designs under Bob Lutz. When you see concept vehicles like Solstice and Belair, theyÂ’ll sell themselves.Ââ€
It has been easy to be a critic about GM. The corporate giant, for about {IMG2}three decades, has backed off from technology, daring design and fun vehicle development for the sake of not disrupting the bottom line, leading to the feeling that “bean-counters†were making all the decisions, and choosing profit margin over research and development.
Here are the highlights of the 20-some new introductions:
• Performance. GM is going to coordinate its high-performance concepts into one unit, although that unit intends to stay subtle, without the flash of FordÂ’s SVT (Special Vehicle Team) or the Mercedes AMG group. “You wonÂ’t read our name on the back of the car,†said Mark Reuss, who runs GMÂ’s performance division. “I have 1,000 workers under me, 800 who are in architectural design and 200 who will specialize in performance, concept and show cars, high-performance operations and design. We havenÂ’t really had all these divisions together at GM — ever.Ââ€
GM intends to offer small-car, front-wheel-drive high-performance parts such as racing cylinder heads and superchargers for the Ecotec engines in the Cavalier and Sunfire, for example.
• Concept cars coming to life. One easy new car is the 2003 Corvette 50th anniversary edition, which will come only in a dark, burgundy red. Otherwise, some far-out concept cars are expected to spring to life. Most notable is the Pontiac Solstice, the Chevrolet SSR and Belair, and possibly the Saturn Sky, while Cadillac will follow-up its new-generation CTS sedan with a stunning XLR hardtop/roadster convertible. I got a close-up look at the Solstice and Belair, and I drove a prototype Sky, but there were no XLRs around — until we were being bused out of the Milford Proving Grounds, and I spotted one cruising along on a test track. In a year, the GTO makes a comeback, based on the Holden Monaro from GM’s Australian branch.
• Trucks. Naturally, the high profitability of trucks is one of the basic assets of all the new car optimism, but GM is hardly going to pass up the chance to expand its enormous truck outlay. Buick, which got the Rendezvous as a neat version of the controversial Pontiac Aztek for 2002, will add the Ranier, which will be a similar but slightly more luxurious sport-utility vehicle, powered by either the new high-tech in-line 6 or the new Generation III 5.3-liter V8. Also, Chevrolet will bring out the SS — a throwback to the Super Sport days of its hot-rod sporty coupes — as a specialty version of the Silverado pickup truck. Aside from also lengthening the GMC and Cadillac versions of the Chevy Tahoe into a full-fledged version of the Suburban, GM is in-troducing a new Hummer H2, a more manageable version of the military all-terrain vehicle.
• Technology. Cadillac and Corvette will continue to be the test-beds for new technology, from things such as OnStar, Nightvision, through-the-windshield instruments, StabiliTrak, etc. The new Corvette, for example, will have “MagneRide†suspension, which was introduced on the 2002 Cadillac Seville STS and is an electromagnetic controlled suspension system. Imagine this: inside the struts that cushion all four wheels, instead of the usual pristine fluid, Delphi (a GM affiliate) has come up with a strut filled with fluid that has magnetic particles floating freely around inside, and the normal suspension is very comfortable and compliant. Set on “touring,†the suspension stays that way, but move the console switch to “sport,†and you get a stiffer mode, plus. A severe cornering move causes an electromagnetic coil to suddenly cause all the free-flowing particles to snap together, greatly stiffening the suspension. It acts so quickly that you don’t really feel anything, except when you corner abruptly. Then the 50th Anniversary Corvette feels like it has race-car suspension.
• Engines. The old 5.0- and 5.7-liter V8s have been replaced by the 5.3, which replaces the 5.7 as a clean-sheet design that began in 1999 as an iron block unit. The new one is all aluminum, and it turns out 290 horsepower. The other significant new engine is the Ecotec, which originated with GM’s German Opel division, which used it in the Astra sedan. It also will be used in the new Saab, a recent GM acquisition. The 2.2 Ecotec is a dual-overhead-camshaft, 16 valve 4-cylinder, and when it came in last year, it became the base engine in Cavalier and Sunfire, and left the 2.4-liter “Quad 4†as an option. The 2.4 has now been dropped altogether from further production, and the Ecotec takes over, supplying 140 horsepower and 150 foot-pounds of torque.
• Alternative power. While GM continued to emphasize more power and performance with almost every introduction, the company is striving to improve its efficiency for ecological and economical reasons. One truck has a V8 with one bank of cylinders that shuts down when not needed. I drove a second full-size pickup with engineer Stephen Poulos riding shotgun, and he explained that our vehicle had a combination 5.3-liter V8 and AC induction motor, supplying 20 more horsepower from 42 lead-acid batteries, located under the rear seat. The truck had very good power, and whenever you stop for a red light, the engine stops. The fuel shuts off as soon as you decelerate, and when you take your foot off the brake to step on the gas as the light turns green, the engine restarts and you’re off. Poulos says EPA estimates show 10-15 percent improvement in fuel economy, and the new engine has no alternator or starter, and the pump and power steering are done electrically by the auxiliary motor.
Interestingly enough, the new alternative-energy truck has no special markings, and no high-tech gauges. “WeÂ’re selling a truck here,†said Poulos. “We donÂ’t want to point out how many differences there are, as much as how similar it is to what everybody is used to.Ââ€
Flash, glitz and performance may be fun, apparently, but GM figures its customers are wary enough about high-tech economy advances to downplay such advances.
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About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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